Publications

This section of the Guidelines will provide information to develop your publication according to the Grolier Club's standards. Below is a brief overview of the steps of the Publications process for Grolier Club Curators. 

1. Meet with the Committee on Publications 

As soon as convenient, after receiving formal approval for your members’ or public exhibition, contact the Publications Manager to discuss the steps in the publications process, detailed below. They can advise you about interviewing and selecting a book designer, editor, indexer, photographer, and other catalogue production team members. The document “Resources for Curators” is a good starting place.  

2. Select Your Book Designer, Editor, Photographer, and Indexer (if needed) 

You’ll want to have these important team members on board as soon as possible, so that you know what they will need at each stage of the production process. Ask them for outlines of the steps in their process, when they will want to meet with you, and their fees. 

3. Meet with your Book Designer 

After you have selected your book designer, meet with them to discuss ideas about your catalogue’s size, content, print run, how to key photos to text, etc. This will help you to create a project timetable. Your designer will provide you with an estimate of the costs for your catalogue. 

 
4. Create Your Catalogue’s Manuscript 

When you are ready, start (or continue) writing your catalogue. Keep your editor, book designer, and indexer posted from time to time on your progress, so everyone can keep updated work schedules. 

5. Meet with Your Photographer 

Determine with your photographer which books or related objects will need to be photographed at a high resolution (360 dpi or greater), where and when this will happen, and how the images will be keyed to your book’s text. You will want your manuscript and your photographs to be ready for your book designer at the same time. 

6. Meet with Your Editor 

Once your manuscript is in semifinal or final written form, meet with your editor. The Grolier Club asks each curator to have a professional copy or proof editor review any catalogue manuscript. There is no particular style guide required by the Club, though often curators select the Chicago Manual of Style with their editor—any consistent, professional approach to manuscript presentation is fine, but please use US spelling and punctuation.  

7. Touch Point #1 with the Grolier Club 

Any manuscript published with the Grolier imprint must be reviewed by the Grolier Club’s Committee on Publications. At the same time that you send your manuscript to an outside editor, please also email a copy to Arnold Hirshon (ahirshon@gmail.com) and the Publications Manager for a Publications Committee review. Please allow 5 days for the review. This review is important to complete before your manuscript is sent to your book designer, so that comments can be incorporated. 

8. Manuscript Sent to Book Designer 

Often your editor will prepare the final manuscript for submission to your book designer. Once your book designer receives the final manuscript, they will create an initial layout of your book for your approval. These style pages (limited text + photographs), once approved, allow the book designer to finalize the text layout and photo placement for the entire book. 

9. Touch Point #2 with the Grolier Club 

Any book layout with the Grolier imprint requires a brief review by the Grolier Club’s Committee on Publications. When your designer sends you a first draft of the layout, please forward the pdf to Arnold Hirshon and the Publications Manager. Please allow 5 days for the review. Completing this review when you have a first draft of the layout means that comments can be taken into consideration while the creation of the design is still at an early stage. 

10. Front and Back Cover to the Grolier Club 

The cover of any book with the Grolier imprint requires a brief review by the Grolier Club’s Committee on Publications. When you have the final, print-ready version of the front and back covers, please forward the pdf to Arnold Hirshon and the Publications Manager. This review is important to complete before your layout is sent to the printer, so that comments can be incorporated. 

11. Layout Sent to the Printer and Binder 

Usually your book designer will send your final book layout to your printer and binder. They may be located overseas or within the United States. Overseas printing is less expensive, but it will add 2 months to the schedule. Please see attachment 3, Production Schedule, for a basic production timeline after the manuscript is completed.